“Why are you cast down, O my soul, and why are you in
turmoil within me? Hope in God; for I shall again praise Him, my salvation and
my God….By day the Lord commands His steadfast love, and at night His song is
with me, a prayer to the God of my life. I say to God, my rock: "Why have
You forgotten me?”…Why are you cast down, O my soul, and why are you in turmoil
within me? Hope in God; for I shall again praise Him, my salvation and my God.”
~Ps 42 5,8-9,11
Brothers,
This past month
has been a rough month for me. Between
visiting the Adams, dealing with the results of my procrastination, and normal
day to day struggles, I’ve been what David would have phrased as “weighed down
in spirit.” Thoughts about what the future will hold, what the past has wrought,
and what the present is requiring have made my emotions like a roller coaster.
The way I typically deal with my emotions is by holding them in until a future
time when I will be able to let them out. Yet this past week, as my spirit
reached its full mark, I was talking with my parents and I was realizing that I
wasn’t handling the situation right. In many cases, yes, holding in emotions
can be beneficial. But look at what David does. He brings his worries and fears
to the Lord and then in a sense encourages himself.
“Be gracious to me, O Lord, for I
am in distress; my eye is wasted from grief; my soul and my body also. For my
life is spent with sorrow, and my years with sighing; my strength fails because
of my iniquity, and my bones waste away.” (Ps 31:9-10)
I’m sure that at some point in your life, you, too, have struggled with
a troubled spirit. I’m sure also that you will struggle again many times in
your life. Yet I would caution you not to do a few things. Don’t throw all your
troubles in a box at the back of your mind and try and forget about them. That
doesn’t solve the problem and only makes it harder because when you’ve filled
that box high enough, it will overflow and trouble you ten times more than at
first. Also, don’t do the opposite and walk around telling everyone about your
troubles. We need to be wise about who
we share our innermost thoughts with.
Some might be unprepared at that time to handle the extra burden and
others might be simply untrustworthy.
Here is what I would advise when you are feeling down,
emotional, stressed, or otherwise troubled: First, cry out to the Lord. He is
the only one who can give you joy and is your only true rest. Seek Him first
above all things and live in obedience. Second, seek the support of one you
trust. We are commanded in Scripture to bear one another’s burdens and the
support of another can considerably lighten your load. Third, meditate on the
Word. The Bible and prayer are two powerful weapons that cannot be over-used
and should definitely not be under-used. Last, praise the Lord. When your mind
is focused on the Lord, the cares of this world seem as light as a feather.
One interesting
thing I’ve noticed about Psalms, is that it begins with cries to the Lord for
help and ends with songs of thanksgiving. What better example do we have than
this?
“But I trust in You, O
Lord; I say, "You are my God." My times are in Your hand;…Make Your
face shine on Your servant; save me in Your steadfast love!…Love the Lord, all
you His saints! The Lord preserves the faithful but abundantly repays the one
who acts in pride. Be strong, and let your heart take courage, all you who wait
for the Lord!” (Ps 31:14-15, 23-24)
“Praise the Lord! Praise God in
His sanctuary; praise Him in His mighty firmament! Praise Him for His mighty
acts; praise Him according to His excellent greatness! Praise Him with the
sound of the trumpet; praise Him with the lute and harp! Praise Him with the
timbrel and dance; praise Him with stringed instruments and flutes! Praise Him
with loud cymbals; praise Him with clashing cymbals! Let everything that has
breath praise the Lord. Praise the Lord!” (Ps 150)
Your brother in Christ,
Corey
